Box-covering machine



(No Model.)

H A INMAN BOX COVERING MACHINE.

No. 594,401. Patented Nov. 30,1897.

Urirrnn STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

HARRY A. INMAN, OF AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK.

BOX-COVERING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent N 0. 59%,d01, dated November 30, 1897.

Application filed June 14,1897. Serial No. 640,665. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HARRY A. INMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Amsterdam, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Box-Covering Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improved boX- covering machine which is constructed and arranged so as to apply a decorative paper upon the exterior of a box-blank in such manner that the paper is attached to the box only at its ends and not throughout the entire area of the sides, as usual, thus giving a peculiarly-finished and handsome appearance to the boX, especially adapting it to certain trades as, for instance, millinery, confectionery, and glove trades, and the like.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 ill ustrates an elevation of it. Fig. 8 illustrates a diagrammatical View showing the method in which the paper is cut and pasted.

A is the frame of the machine. Any suitable'mechanism to support the parts is all that is necessary.

13 B are longitudinal rods upon which the operative devices are immediately supported. They extend lengthwise of the machine from end to end, being supported upon standards or pillars C or in such manner as may be preferred. They are adapted to slide lengthwise through these pillars when desired.

D is a shaft or support for a roll of paper, which may be advantageously centered by flanges E E on the shaft D. The shaft may be supported upon hangers F. (See Fig. 2.)

G is a glue-tank of any preferred construction.

H H are the glue-rollers, I the scraper, and J a pawl to prevent backward turning.

K is a bar under which the paper passes, which I prefer to use to compel the paper to make contact with a relatively large arc of the glue-rollers. It will be particularly noticed that the rollers are very narrow. They are so made in order that they may deposit a narrow or fine line of adhesive material only upon the edge of the paper, and they are supported upon hubs provided with set-screws,

as shown, so that they may be adjusted longitudinally of the shaft upon which they are journaled.

L is a roller which revolves in a compartment of the glue-tank M in which there is no paste, this roller L being merelya support for the paper to prevent its sagging centrally.

N N are two cross-bars for the support of the paper, which, as shown, are connected with one of the side bars B by means of sleeves or collars, which may have set-screws O and 0, if desired, and the free ends of these rods rest upon the opposite bar B, so that when not desired they can be swung away from the machine.

P P are two sliding blocks adapted to slide uponthe main side bars B, which support a cross head or frame Q upon pillars R R, connected with the blocks.

S S are links pivotally connected at one end to the sliding blocks P P, and at the forward end they form journals for a cross-shaft T, upon which are mounted two centrally-disposed rollers U U and other lateral rollers V V The latter slide upon the upper edge of castings XV, which are supported upon the side bars B by being made tubular in their upper portion, and sliding on the side bars, being fiXedbyset-screws. (Not shown.) The two central rollers U U force the paper down upon the V-shaped knives a a, which are rigidly fastened to the blocks 17 1), which are supported by a cross-frame c and are adapted to slide laterally in a slot d made in it. The lateral adjustment of the knives is provided to compensate for different widths of paper. On the forward end of the frame Q there is a downwardly-extending rod (2, encircled by a spiral springf, which tends to press down wardly the medial portion of the shaft T, upon which the rollers U U are mounted, so as to give those rollers considerable pressure upon the upwardly-turned edges of the knives to a.

g g are two plates attached to the sides of the blocks or castings W, which form part of the cross-frame c, and these side plates, as seen in Fig. 2, are V-shaped on their upper edges and present the two inclined surfaces h h, the ends of which inclines are above the upper surface of the castings W'- W, and the medial portions are below it. The plates g is applied to the paper.

are adjusted vertically by set-screws it, which enter the castings TV, located behind the plates g, and work in slots j j made in the plates g.

7c k are two levers pivoted at l to the lower portion of the side plates g g, and each of which is provided with a notch m on its upper end and with a spring 'n, which normally tends to elevate the arms somewhat, as shown.

0 0 are two cross-bars for the support of the paper.

1) is a pair of shears having one fixed and one movable blade, as usual.

q is the box-support. It is mounted upon a shaft 0", the latter being adjustable toward and from the machine by sliding through a bearing 3, provided with set-screw 25.

a is a treadle provided with a rod 1/, which actuates the knives, and another rod 20, which connects with the bell-crank lever 2, to the other end of which a rod a is pivotally connected, which is attached to the slide-block P by a pivotal connection I).

The operation is as follows: The box-blank or cover-blank, as the case may be, is placed horizontally upon the box-form q. The coil of paper is placed upon the shaftD and properly centered by the flanges E E. It passes thence over the glue-rollers H H, being supported in its central portion by the roller L. The scraper I, which is preferably an adj ustable one, regulates the amount of paste that The gluing rollers or disks H H are adj usted laterally upon the cross-shaft which supports them, so as to apply the paste just at the edges of the strip of paper. The paper preferably passes under the cross-bar K, and as it proceeds through the machine if it sags it is supported upon the bars N N. Passing thence still forwardly, it is trained under the cross-shaft T and the rollers U and U, which are supported by it. When training the paper through the ma chine, the sliding bars P and P are in their most rearward position, so that the shaft T is lifted from the knives a a by reason of the engagement of the lateral rollers V V with the rearmost inclined surface of the plates g g. The paper, passing over the knives, passes still forwardly through the shears to the boxform. The operator takes hold of the forward edge of the paper, which when severed by the knives or shears will be suspended there from the fixed blade of the shears or from the cross-bar 0, and pulls it forward, applying it to the box or cover, and imme diately thereafter, in order to sever the piece of paper which is adapted to cover the single boX, she operates the treadle, whereupon the shears cut the paper off on the line X, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3,) and by the same operation of the lever, through the instrumentality of the rod 10, bell-crank z, and rod (4, the slide-blocks P P and the rollers U U and the connected parts are all moved forwardly over the knives by which the paper is out, as shown in Fig. 3, by the angular cuts through the center of which the cut made by the shears (indicated by X X) is subsequently made. As

the rollers pass over the knives the spring f presses them firmly down upon them, so that they make their cuts properly, and as they approach the limit of their forward movement they depress the notched bars 7,; 7c, against the action of their springs a or, until those bars have been so far depressed that the rollers rest in the notches in, made in the upper ends of the bar 70, and to aid in this operation the forward incline h of the side plates g is provided, which lifts the rollers V V", so that the notch m in the side bars 70 will move under them, and upon the backward movement the bars 7e will carry the rollers V V and U U, elevating them above the plates \V W, upon which they work in the forward movement, so that there is no cutting action on the back track, which might occasion false work if the paper was moved by the operator meantime. hen the rollers have reached their rearward position, as shown in Fig. 2, then the bars 7.; escape from under them and the springs a, which are suitably attached to the bars 7;, return them to their normal position. The machine is then ready for another operation.

Adjusting devices, some of which have already been explained, and others not, are provided, whereby the machine is adapted to papers of different widths and to make the cuts more or less pronounced-in other words, to a greater or less extent inward from the edges of the paper. These adjustments are the sliding blocks P P and the laterally-adjustable glue rollers or disks H H. The lengthwise adj ustment-in other words, the distance apart of the cut-is of course determined by the amount of paper pulled forwardly by the operator. No other adjust ment is required for this purpose.

It will be particularly noted that the papers are pasted on the edges only, as shown at X X, (see Fig. 3,) so that when the papers are applied to the boxes or their covers the operator doubles the pasted edge downwardly and inwardly and the paste attaches them to the sides of the covers or boxes, as the case may be. Paste is then applied by hand across the end of the covering-papers, which are in turn folded and bent inwardly and the diagonal cuts in the paper permit it to be folded at the corners in such manner as desired. Several methods of folding are possible, which need not be described.

I claim 1. In a box-covering machine, the combination of a support for a coil of paper, mech anism for pasting the edges of the paper, cutting devices for slitting the paper at its edges, and means to support the box-blank, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a box-covering machine, the combination of a support for a coil of paper, mechanism forpasting the edges of the paper, cutting devices for slitting the paper at its edges,

cutting devices for severing the paper entirely, and means to support the box-blank, for the purposes set forth.

3. In a box-covering machine, the combination of a support for a coil of paper, mechanism for pasting the edges of the paper, a device for supporting the medial part of the paper during the pasting operation, cutting devices for slitting the paper at its edges, and means to support the box-blank, for the purposes set forth.

4. In a box covering machine, the combination of a support for a roll of paper, mechanism for pasting the edges of the paper, a device for supporting the medial part of the paper during the pasting operation, cutting devices for slitting the paper at its edges, means to support the box-blank, and means to sever the paper entirely, for the purposes set forth.

5. In a box-covering machine, the combination of a support for a coil of paper, laterally-adjustable means for pasting the paper at its edges, devices for slitting the paper at its edges, laterally adjustable toward and from each other, and means to support a boxblank, for the purposes set forth.

6. In a box-covering machine, the combination of devices for pasting the paper at its edges, laterally adjustable toward and from each other, other devices for supporting the medial portion of the paper during the pasting operation, slitting devices for cutting the paper at its edges, other devices for severing the paper transversely, and a support for the box-blank adjustable toward and from the machine, for the purposes set forth.

7. In a box-covering machine the combination of a support for a coil of paper, mechanism for pasting the edges of the paper, de vices for slitting the paper at its edges, movable devices which press the paper on the said siitters, and which operate during their movement in one direction, and means for lifting the said pressing devices from the paper during their rearward movement, for the purposes set forth.

8. In a box-covering machine, the combination of a support for a coil of paper, mechanism for pasting the edgesof the paper, devices for slitting the paper at its edges, means for pressing the paper upon the said slitters, which operate during their movement in one direction only,means for lifting the said pressin g devices from the paper during their rearward movement, and cutting devices for com pletely severing the paper transversely, for the purposes set forth.

. Signed at Amsterdam, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, this 4th day of June, A. D. 1897.

HARRY A. INMAN.

X'Vitnesses:

F. M. JosLIN, Cans. W. CLARK. 

